“If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
John 12:26
Preachers, Teachers & Disciples
We’ve all seen them, the up and coming preachers who gain a public following. Of course appointed religious officials would like to be the superstars of their mega-temples in Jerusalem or cathedrals of later times, but this was not the style of Jesus or of his populist predecessor, John the Baptist.
Some men have the gift of preaching a message to which others will respond and follow. As we pointed out in our previous post, John the Baptist was one such gifted preacher and like Jesus after him, he also had gained a following of disciples.
How is a Disciple different from other hearers of preaching?
To be clear, Jesus was not the only teacher or Rabbi with disciples, so let’s begin with a definition.
μαθητής – mathētēs – a learner, pupil, disciple – from μανθάνω manthanō – to learn (in any way):—learn, understand.
Certain followers of rabbis of the same school of teaching, as in the party of the Pharisees, were also called disciples. These disciples often were loyal to a particular teaching in a certain place, often Jerusalem. Popular Pharisees and popular Sadducees competed for prominent disciples with influence.
Iterate teachers like Jesus or teachers in the wilderness like John also developed a following. Their crowds of disciples wanted to learn more about what they were preaching, but had to travel to a distant place to hear more teaching from this rabbi or prophet.
The question of truth always goes to what are they preaching and why does their message connect to their followers?
John’s Disciples
John’s message is ‘repent and be baptized,’ but it is more than that. Note these references to the disciples of John, men who followed John the Baptist as he cried out to sinners to repent and be baptized.
John 1:
“I baptize with water,”
“Someone stands among you, but you don’t know him. He is the one coming after me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.”
35 The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus.
What a pivotal moment it must have been in their lives! These two men were disciples of the brash baptist, John, the Prophet of the wilderness.
And what had John witnessed to his disciples about Jesus?
“Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is the one I told you about:
‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’
31 I didn’t know him, but I came baptizing with water so he might be revealed to Israel.”
He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” – John 1:20 ESV
Therefore, these two disciples of John the Baptist now turn to follow Jesus.
Disciples of John follow the Messiah
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come and you’ll see,” he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed him.
Who was this unnamed disciple with Andrew who heard John and followed Jesus? No doubt, the young evangelist, John, who will also introduce his older brother to the Messiah of Israel.
James and John, along with Andrew’s brother, Simon Peter, will become Jesus’ inner circle of Disciples.
Disciples and Apostles
A preacher or teacher may have many listeners who do not hear, but men like John the Baptist had followers or disciples. John’s message was more weighty than the politically correct preaching of any particular religious party (like the Pharisees), with the authority of the LORD in Scripture.
Disciples are followers of a certain teacher, Rabbi or other preacher. Some now use the terms disciple and apostle interchangeably, but is there a difference?
Preachers need an audience of listeners. Disciples may follow some teachers of Scripture or other philosophy, yet an apostle is different. The apostle is a man with a different function than merely following a teacher.
Apostle
ἀπόστολος – apostolos – a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders; specifically applied to the twelve apostles of Christ, in a broader sense applied to other eminent Christian teachers, i.e. of Barnabas, of Timothy and Silvanus. – from ἀποστέλλω – apostellō – to order (one) to go to a place appointed or to send away, dismiss.
The Apostle John does not refer to himself as an Apostle in his Gospel or three letters, even though clearly he is sent by Jesus after His resurrection. John makes only a single reference in the words of Jesus at the time of their preparation for the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God for the atonement of Israel.
Nearly three years after having been disciples of John the Baptist Jesus will send them out as Apostles. John witnesses a story of their mission pointing to his own love and humility learned from Jesus.
The Meaning of Foot Washing
John 13:
12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer clothing, he reclined again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.
16 “Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
You may find the terminology of the King James Version helpful to understanding the root relationship between a master teacher and a follower sent out.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
John 13:16 KJV
‘Amen, amen,’ begins the Greek. The servant is δοῦλος doulos, the same word used for slave. (I know we have difficulty relating to this relationship.)
The slave, therefore, says Jesus to His Disciples, is not greater than the lord (a term used for the master responsible for slaves). And ‘he that is sent,’ ἀπόστολος apostolos or apostle, is not greater than the one who sends (his lord who commands him with the message).
John the Baptist did not send his own disciples to Jesus, but witnessed the Lord of all Authority.
I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
John 1:34
Early Disciples of The Twelve
35 The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
John and Andrew, disciples of John the Baptist follow Jesus. They may not have been the only ones and other disciples no doubt followed Jesus later.
Their brothers, Peter and James then follow.
41 He [Andrew] first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated “the Christ”), 42 and he brought Simon to Jesus.
When Jesus saw him, he said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated “Peter”).
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.”
Galilee to the north of Judea is of course not only the place where Jesus stayed, but also the place of business for Simon and Andrew, sons of Zebedee, and others.
Beginning in Galilee
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.
“Come and see,” Philip answered.
John, Andrew, Peter and then Philip, (John’s older brother James is not yet mentioned); the an addition of Nathanael.
47 Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.
49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”
“Teacher, you are the Messiah and King of Israel,” says Nathaniel (נְתַנְאֵל which means, “God/El has given”), who other Gospel writers refer to as, ‘Bartholomew.’ He is likely also a fisherman from Cana, near Nazareth, where Jesus grew up as a child after returning from Egypt.
John does not introduce the other Disciples of Jesus here, but continues with witness of Jesus’ first miracle at a wedding in Cana, where John and other local Disciples were no doubt present.
50 Jesus responded to him [Nathanael], “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.”
51 Then he said, “Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
To be continued...
Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”